Adrian Belew
Side One

Fans of the curiously idiosyncratic ruminations of Adrian Belew undoubtedly
will find plenty to enjoy among the nine tracks on his latest solo affair
Side One. In the span of a mere 33 minutes, the well-respected guitarist and
sonic sculptor — with the help of drummer Danny Carey (Tool) and bass player Les Claypool (Primus) — manages to explore many of the more eccentric avenues open
to a power trio format. Fusing an undercurrent of propulsive percussion with an
array of rubbery bass patterns and variegated guitar grooves, the ensemble
delivers an eclectic stew of songs that range from the spastic funk-rock of Writing on the Wall to the swirling dissonance of Madness to the
burbling, folk-infused, space-rock of Under the Radar. Unfortunately, for
all of its experimental textures, much of Side One lacks the creative
spark that frequently has fueled Belew’s work with King Crimson, and although
there are hints of better songs lurking within his new material — at times,
Walk Around the World hints at the alterna-pop of The Bears, while the
spaciousness of Matchless Man drifts into the realm of Pink Floyd — many
of the tunes sound like half-baked segments plucked from a jam session and
stitched haphazardly together to create an album. ˝